Lack of advice for formula feeding mums?

[chubbyhotchoc]

Is it me or is there a lack of advice for formula feeding mums? I've googled a few times typing in ' growth spurts', 'newborn sleep' etc and everything is geared to bf babies like this article

www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/baby-growth-spurts.aspx
Is formula now such a dirty word that it can't even be mentioned or is it because formula feeding is seen as so much easier that no advice is needed?

I BF but can't say I ever noticed a lack of advice for FF. what advice would you be looking for which you think is missing?

What advice are you looking for though? Instructions on how to use and howm icj to give are literally on the box

Yes. Huge gaps in unbiased information. I basically was alone when it came to formula feeding my newborn DD1 2 years ago. I knew nothing, and could get no impartial advice. I had PND, so I was afraid to ask midwives for fear of judgement for choosing to formula feed (I obviously had my reasons but still knew people would judge my lack of suffering through BF). FF a newborn is treated by some mothers as akin to negligence, so didnt want to ask my NCT friends for their opinions. I actually lied for weeks and pretended I was BF because I had such a fear of the judgement. It was a horrible time where I felt so lacking in information and control, and I couldn't help my baby who had constipation and reflux due to the formula, compared to my NCT friends who had BF support groups coming out of their ears.

@sleepingstandingup
I'm aware of that thanks. I meant when you google anything else related to babies, like reflux, colic or night feeds, the advice is always raising it as a given you're breastfeeding.

I found that too. Looking back i can barely remember what I found so hard/confusing about it (first time mum) but at the time I remember googling something new regularly and could only really find advice on forums like these from other mums in a similar situation.

I can't agree - I formula fed both of mine, and found advice online. It basically boils down to - feed more. Whether it's breast or formula.

Quite interesting this... I always find that there seems to be not enough help for either formula, breastmilk or combi when I see posts like this pop up.

I know from my experience when breastfeeding my first born there just wasn't enough support so I switched to combi but again I still didn't know what I was doing so switched to formula and I then found my HV seemed more geared towards offering advice.

Currently breastfeeding my nearly 9 month old and again it seems strange to me how medical professionals seem geared towards formula. During all hospital stays (he has had a few), the nurses have always asked what formula he is on and when I've requested a pump its been tricky to get hold of. I feel very thankful to have a good support group this time around that is made up of women with a wealth of knowledge about BFing otherwise I think I would have switched to formula already.

Yes, agree. Also a lack of advice on good feeding technique. It's like this push for breastfeeding means they can't help you feed your baby well with formula. I didn't find it easy at all. Especially as the key (to my mind) is responsive feeding, no matter how you feed. So how to manage the logistics of that with formula takes some figuring out!!! I would have liked a feeding consultation that covered all bases. (Not that I got any breastfeeding support, either, so at least there wasn't a bias, I guess!!!!)

I think the advice is generally just the same. I ff one and bf one and I wouldn't have done anything different with either of them in terms of reflux, colic and night feeds. Except if you are giving reflux meds, it's much easier if you're ff.

I think the only thing that can be confusing is the advice around how much to feed and how often with ff babies. It's the same, on demand as much as they want as often as they want, but there is a lot more weird stuff out there saying differently. That doesn't mean it's 'advice' though.

I switched from bf to ff D1 at 6 weeks, this was 4 1/2 year ago and I can’t say I noticed this then. I’ve skimmed through the article and most of the info still applies to ff.

Maybe it’s based on area; two years ago I was FF my newborn in an area with exceptionally high BF rates and there was nothing. Zero advice. I was asked three times at the hospital after having DD if I wanted to see the BF nurse, then reminded that there were no facilities for making bottles so if we ran out of readymade milk DP would have to go get more. I was also the only FF at every baby group I went to (luckily I had existing friends with new babies I went to groups with).

Contrarily, the town nearest my sister’s village in another part of the country has very low BF rates and they have a milk kitchen at the hospital she will give birth in. BF was mentioned once at her booking in appointment and that was it.

I found that; when I was looking up stopping night feeds on formula it was all about breastfeeding and the same when I was looking up about over feeding. They were quite helpful at the hospital though and the health visitor has been helpful.

I just feel like every article I read even if it's not directly about feeding mentions breastfeeding at every given opportunity like it's a given. Maybe I'm being sensitive about it as I always wanted to breastfeed

@catlady3

Yes, agree. Also a lack of advice on good feeding technique. It's like this push for breastfeeding means they can't help you feed your baby well with formula. I didn't find it easy at all. Especially as the key (to my mind) is responsive feeding, no matter how you feed. So how to manage the logistics of that with formula takes some figuring out!!! I would have liked a feeding consultation that covered all bases. (Not that I got any breastfeeding support, either, so at least there wasn't a bias, I guess!!!!)

Agree. When I had my first and had to give her a bottle, I remember feeling so awkward and wondering about the correct way to hold the bottle and the baby. Then there's different teats etc...

I think the reason there isn't any advice about FF (though i dispute this massively, as something like 80% of babies in the UK are FF by 3m) is that it's really, really simple. Sterilise bottles and make up as per the tin. There isn't a comfort component, as with breastfeeding, so it really is as straightforward as "feed your baby when they are hungry". FF doesn't have any bearing on how you'd deal with colic or reflux etc.

My health visitors were very knowledgeable about formula and bottle feeding.

I agree OP. Of course there's far more to it than just the instructions of how to make up a bottle . There's not much information about paced feeding, and there seems to be an assumption that all babies drink X amount Y times a day, nothing about demand feeding. I'm mixed feeding and there seems to be even less information about that.. tbf that's a bit of a complicated one as people mix feed for a variety of reasons - I expect advice for someone mix feeding due to TT, low supply etc might be quite different thank that for someone who had plenty of milk and a well latching baby but chose to mix feed for convenience. Still, it would be nice to get a mention sometimes.

@Ohalrightthen

I think the reason there isn't any advice about FF (though i dispute this massively, as something like 80% of babies in the UK are FF by 3m) is that it's really, really simple. Sterilise bottles and make up as per the tin. There isn't a comfort component, as with breastfeeding, so it really is as straightforward as "feed your baby when they are hungry". FF doesn't have any bearing on how you'd deal with colic or reflux etc.

Nice attitude you have there

@chubbyhotchoc

I just feel like every article I read even if it's not directly about feeding mentions breastfeeding at every given opportunity like it's a given. Maybe I'm being sensitive about it as I always wanted to breastfeed

I absolutely found this. Also just because I wasn’t able to breastfeed doesn’t mean I’m not interested in being a gentle, responsive, baby-led parent but anything you read in those areas seem to pre-assume breast feeding too.

@unreliableursula

I agree OP. Of course there's far more to it than just the instructions of how to make up a bottle . There's not much information about paced feeding, and there seems to be an assumption that all babies drink X amount Y times a day, nothing about demand feeding. I'm mixed feeding and there seems to be even less information about that.. tbf that's a bit of a complicated one as people mix feed for a variety of reasons - I expect advice for someone mix feeding due to TT, low supply etc might be quite different thank that for someone who had plenty of milk and a well latching baby but chose to mix feed for convenience. Still, it would be nice to get a mention sometimes.

Yep I mix fed my first because I have hypoplasia and I felt very in the dark then. I remember sitting in a breastfeeding room in John Lewis bf my dd followed by giving her formula and feeling like other mums must be wondering what the heck I was doing. More awareness and mentions of different types of feeding would be nice

@chubbyhotchoc I'm surprised you get negative feedback re formula feeding given 80+% of women in the UK formula feed after 3 months. It's so much more common than breastfeeding.

Night feeds:

www.nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/feeding/early-days/how-cope-night-feeds

Colic:

www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-challenges/colic/

Reflux:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/reflux-in-babies/

I don't know about midwives or health visitors as I never saw one after the first few visits but it's all right there when I searched and it was the first page I clicked on each time.

I'm surprised you get negative feedback re formula feeding given 80+% of women in the UK formula feed after 3 months. It's so much more common than breastfeeding

I have definitely been given the impression (more from internet forums than from medical professionals tbf) that I am a contributor to the UK's "dire breastfeeding rates"

I think you're probably right. I've breastfed two babies with extreme allergies and had to cut lots out of my diet as a result. One of the reasons I've never switched to formula is because I couldn't make head nor tail of what you're supposed to do with it! They wouldn't take a bottle anyway but I couldn't work out what you do if they wake at night for example - do you have to go and make a bottle up every time or can you have 5 bottles ready to go next to the bed? Just questions like that seemed unanswered so I've just stuck with the diet.

@unreliableursula they are low, the figures don't lie but everyone does what they think is best and a lot of women actually suffer from not being able to breastfeed, some women's milk never came in, some tried for weeks and weeks. There should be no judgement, whatever the choice and sometimes it's not even a choice, is it? I'm glad you didn't get that impression from the medical professionals - take what you read on here with a pinch of salt because a lot of people would never say to your face what they say on here.

Yep I mix fed my first because I have hypoplasia and I felt very in the dark then. I remember sitting in a breastfeeding room in John Lewis bf my dd followed by giving her formula and feeling like other mums must be wondering what the heck I was doing. More awareness and mentions of different types of feeding would be nice*

Yes but that was how you were feeling. You don't know if they were really thinking this.

Have you not got the book "From birth to five"? (It's online if you don't) Or the feeding booklet from your HV?